Nine Talents
by Cygnea
Summary: Naruto xover. Usagi x Kakashi. Friends, allies, lovers... The past is the past; to a shinobi, all of these ties can become meaningless in an instant, at the beck and call of the mission.


**Nine Talents**  
**Theme:** #59 (reunion; meeting again; resurface)  
Written for 30 houshin LJ community  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or claim to own, any of the characters mentioned below or the series from which they originated.  
**Pairing:** Usagi x Kakashi

* * *

The teahouse was a large establishment, but it gave the impression of being small and intimate even when Kakashi knew there were nearly thirty other customers present. Catering to high-paying clients, the mistress rewarded her clients' generosity with a variety of excellent services and the promise of complete discretion. 

Kakashi knew this was no idle boast, having done an extensive amount of surveillance before agreeing to go through with the meeting. Now, he allowed himself to be escorted to his room by a young woman who had the misfortune of being pretty but not outstanding. In a profession that relied on appearances as much, if not more, than actual talent she'd have to work twice as hard in order to prove her worth. The way she hunched her shoulders, however, trying to make herself smaller than she was, told him she had already accepted her position in life.

The room was clean and small enough to seem cozy, but it was the position that interested him, close enough to the front of the building to allow a quick escape. The girl excused herself with a bow, promising that his attendant would arrive shortly and encouraging him to make himself comfortable. He took a seat with his back to the wall, but left the _sake_ untouched on the table, settling down to wait the last few minutes until his contact arrived.

It wasn't long before a slight creak alerted him to the presence of someone on the other side of the door. Given how sturdily the rest of the building had been built, he decided it was a purpose oversight, included to keep guests from being caught unawares. Smoothly, the door slid open to reveal a woman in an incredibly expensive kimono, who, unlike the woman from before, held very little chance of being forgotten. Her most obvious characteristic was the mass of blonde hair that pooled around her legs, but when she glanced up it was her huge blue eyes that drew attention to her face, and she was attractive enough to keep it there.

He watched closely as she entered and closed the door behind her, looking for the shift in her stance that would betray the withdrawal of a poisoned needle or the strange fold in her sleeve that would reveal the presence of a hidden kunai. As he took mental stock of all his weapons and contemplated the best way to attack, she glanced over her shoulder and clicked the door shut, all traces of reserve wiped away with one impish smile. "Hello, Kakashi."

He didn't bother trying to look confused or convince her otherwise; there was a note of certainty in her voice that told him it wouldn't work. His features, however, had been made older and harsher by ninjutsu, his hair darker, and he wondered what had given him away.

She moved to sit on the other side of the table, carefully arranging her blue-and-gold kimono. "It's alright," she continued. "As long as we don't raise our voices, no one can hear us. It's to ensure the customers' privacy, you know, since we get so many important people wandering in."

Her casual tone did nothing to put him at ease, but he matched it as closely as possible. "Good to see that the money pays for something besides company."

"Plenty of men would pay to have the girls sit with them even if it meant sitting in the dirt, but I bet you're really interested in how I knew who you were, right?" She winked and shook her head, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You've been skulking about for days, Kakashi, and there was no way I'd let some stranger sniff around without finding out who it was. You're just as good as I remember you, but I'd know you anywhere."

"I'm surprised to see you like this," he said, and he meant it – her appearance brought up a dozen questions, none of them pleasant. "Is it really safe for you to be displaying yourself so boldly?" She hadn't even bothered to change her hairstyle, the twin spheres with pigtails falling down her back.

"Some men prefer blondes," she explained breezily, and he wondered about her target. More precisely, he wondered what he would have to do if it conflicted with his own interests. "But I'm being a bad hostess; let me pour you a drink."

He had no interest drinking anything she offered, and he knew that she was aware of the fact, but he held the cup out as she busied herself. It was strange to watch her move; he didn't recall her being a particularly graceful individual, but then again she wouldn't have been hired if she couldn't act the part.

"What a coincidence to find you here," she said, setting the jar down. "Out of all the people in the world I thought I might meet, you were never one of them. I wonder what would bring you to such an out-of-the-way little town."

He smiled a bit. "How forward; I hope you're not here to gather information."

She stuck out her tongue, breaking the image she had managed to cultivate a moment before. "I'll have you know that I'm very good at gathering information when I set my mind to it. As for what I'm doing here… I know you've been busy since we parted – word of the Copycat reaches everywhere – but did you consider that maybe I'm just here to enjoy the scenery? Some people do earn breaks from their jobs, you know."

"Working at a teahouse isn't exactly the best way to enjoy scenery.""Wrong again; some men are actually interested in doing nothing more than taking a nice walk and having a good conversation." She tapped a finger against the base of her throat, and Kakashi found himself recalling the last time he had seen the movement.

He'd been sixteen, she perhaps a year or so older, and they'd found themselves reluctant allies on an unexpected battlefield, the result of a mission that had unraveled and quickly engulfed everyone in the area. Afterwards, he'd allowed himself to become careless, she'd been lonely enough to get close, and one thing led to another until they ended up in the burnt-out remains of some seedy shop. He'd been no stranger to physical relationships, and he'd known kunoichi work wasn't all flower arranging, but he'd been surprised at some of the things she'd done, demonstrating the difference between male and female training.

"I don't suppose that's your real face," she said curiously, titling her head to examine him. Caught up in memories, it took him half a second too long to respond.

"Are you this brazen with all your guests?" He'd covered her eyes when they'd kissed and in retaliation she'd bit his lip so hard it bled, instinctively trying to break away. "I don't suspect you get much return business."

She wrinkled her nose. "Then you don't know a thing about what my customers want."

The mention reminded him of why he was here, and how little time he had to try and straighten this situation out. "I hope you don't plan on doing anything," he warned, and she frowned.

"Our villages have had a treaty for nearly three years now. What good would breaking it do?"

A ridiculous question; they both knew there were a hundred reasons their villages could order them to go against the agreement, and that this one had lasted for so long was only thanks to chance.

"But maybe you're not here on a mission at all? Maybe," she suggested, leaning forward and toying with the collar of her kimono, "you heard about me and couldn't resist coming to visit?"

He snorted.

There was a quick knock at the door and a slight pause before it slid open to let in a young man, tall, dark-haired, and tired.

"Oh, you didn't tell me you were expecting someone else!" Usagi exclaimed, a sudden and complete change coming over her as she leaned back. Her eyes widened and her voice took on a breathy, playful air as she reached into her sleeve. "Luckily, I always carry an extra cup!"

The contact glanced at her as he sat down, his fatigue vanishing the moment he got a good look at her. "Well, well… My day just got a hundred times better," he exclaimed, slapping his knee excitedly. "I've always liked girls with blonde hair."

"Oh, really?" Usagi smiled mischievously. "What a coincidence."

* * *

The title comes from a comment on Wikipedia suggesting that the term _kunoichi_ might refer to "nine talents in one person."

Comments are greatly appreciated.


End file.
